On the line: If you look at the rest of SMU’s schedule, games against South Florida and Connecticut should be wins while games against Houston and UCF should be losses. That means this game against Cincinnati could very well make or break SMU’s season. If the Ponies don’t pull out this tough win on the road, don’t expect them to be back in a bowl game.

When SMU has the ball: Garrett Gilbert has been on fire this season, passing for 2,634 yards and 15 touchdowns. Against Temple two weeks ago, he had his best performance of his college career with a school record 538 passing yards. There is no secret here. Gilbert is going to keep slinging it.

When Cincinnati has the ball: Senior quarterback Brendon Kay has shown incremental improvements over the past few weeks and should be able to take advantage of one of the worst defensive backfields in the country. The Bearcats also have three solid running backs headlined by speedy junior R.D. Abernathy. A balanced attack is a definite for Cincinnati.

Prediction: This game could easily turn into a shootout and probably will. But in the end, SMU’s defense won’t be able to make that key stop. Prediction: Cincinnati 38, SMU 35.

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